


Misfits and Wanderers

by itswheremydemonshide10



Category: Emmerdale, Roblivion - Fandom, robron
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, M/M, misfits verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-04 16:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11559147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itswheremydemonshide10/pseuds/itswheremydemonshide10
Summary: Future fic in which Robert and Aaron accidentally become secondary dads to almost every kid in the village.





	1. Noah

**Author's Note:**

> With huge thanks to @mrshiftysugden for letting me borrow her ideas - keep an eye out for part 8 in particular ;) Also thanks to @portinastorm for inspiring the original idea, and @stulot for being such a lovely cheerleader!

The first time it happens, it’s early evening on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday, Robert working on his laptop at the kitchen table and Aaron on the sofa with a beer, his feet up on the coffee table, channel-surfing as he tries to put off the fact that it’s his turn to load the dishwasher.

The doorbell rings and Aaron answers, surprised to find Noah on the doorstep, still in his school uniform with a backpack slung over his shoulder. If Aaron was puzzled by his presence, he’s even more confused by the words that came out of the young lad next.

“Hiya, is it alright if I come in?” Noah asks casually.

“Uhh, yeah…course.” Aaron says, moving aside to let him pass “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah s’alright. Maths homework is driving me mad though.”

Before Aaron can think of a response, Robert’s voice rings across the flat.

“I’m in the kitchen.”

Noah slopes over to him and tosses his bag down by the floor, before pulling out a chair. As he takes a seat, Robert starts shuffling his papers and folders into piles to make more room, before moving his laptop aside and giving the boy his full attention.

“What is it today, fractions again?” Robert asks, shuffling his chair closer to Noah’s as the latter starts pulling a workbook and pencil case from his school bag.

“Nah, linear equations. Whatever the hell they are.”

Aaron returns to the sofa, but he’s not remotely paying attention to the TV now. Instead his attention is on the two blond heads hunched over Noah’s maths book, sheets of equations and graphs taking precedence over Robert’s profit projections. He wonders how this happened, and how on earth he didn’t know about it.

He hears Liv thundering down the spiral stairs before he sees her, because wherever she goes she sounds like a heard of elephants. Unlike Aaron, Liv doesn’t bat an eyelid at Robert and Noah, instead heading straight for the freezer and digging through it for the cookie dough ice cream stashed in the bottom. Liv has perched herself on the kitchen worktop, digging into the tub with a spoon, before she acknowledges them.

“Maths or Science?” She asks, clearly not at all surprised by the impromptu study session.

“Maths, do you know anything about equations?” Noah replies.

Liv’s only response is to snort into her ice cream.

“You know, you could always join us and get yours done on time for once!” Robert tells Liv.

“Nah, I’m good thanks.” Liv says in her usual dismissive tone, getting to her feet now to move into the living room, nabbing the remote from beside Aaron as she curls up on the other end of the sofa. Aaron decides it’s time for answers.

“Hey, how long’s this been going on” Aaron asks Liv in an undertone, not wanting to disturb Robert who is now mid-flow, explaining something complicated about gradients and perpendicular lines. Aaron must admit that it makes absolutely no sense to him (Liv gets her hatred of maths from him it seems), but Robert is sketching something on a blank sheet as he talks, and Noah is nodding along, following Robert’s every word and soaking it up like a sponge.

Liv’s face is blank, so Aaron jerks his thumb towards the kitchen table, then she seems to get it.

“Dunno, since you were in prison and Chas and Charity went to Prague I ‘spose. He likes Robert for some reason.” Liv shrugs.

“Does Charity know?” Aaron asks, curious. Which makes Liv pull an unimpressed face.

“I’m pretty sure Noah could grow an extra head and Charity wouldn’t notice.” She mumbles quietly, and Aaron thinks he hears empathy in her otherwise sarcastic voice.

Aaron feels a pang of guilt when he realises that it never even occurred to him that Robert would have been left with the responsibility of caring for Noah as well as Liv, in addition to worrying about everything else. He never once complained, or even mentioned it, always more concerned with Aaron, and Aaron’s problems.

It warms his heart, watching the two of them. Robert is incredibly patient with Noah, and seems to have developed a balance between helping, and letting Noah work things out for himself where he can.

Aaron also realises that this is the most he has heard Noah talk in ages, the young blond boy usually quiet and withdrawn. He ponders Liv’s comment about Charity not noticing Noah, and wonders how much his quiet nature is because very few people actually listen to him.

It’s that thought that prompts Aaron to act once Noah’s homework is finished, pulling out crisps and popcorn from the cupboards, and encouraging Noah to stay with them for a four-person Xbox tournament.

Noah is unsure at first, mumbles about getting home before his mum gets annoyed. But Aaron is quick to reassure him, firing off a text to Charity to let her know what’s happening (and he tries not to get angry when it takes her nearly two hours to respond).

By the time they’re three games in, Noah has lost all sense of shyness. Hyped up on coke and popcorn, playfully bantering and laughing with Liv as they battle it out over the game. Aaron had beaten Robert, but then been crushed by Liv, who stayed on as the winner, but Aaron doesn’t mind because it allows him a few minutes to lean back on the sofa, curling into Robert slightly.

“You’re really good with him.” Aaron tells him quietly.

Robert looks surprised, and a little bit embarrassed.

“It’s only homework. He’s a clever kid, he just needs a bit of a confidence boost sometimes.” Robert whispers back.

“Still, it’s obvious that it means a lot to him. And it means a lot to me too, that you take care of my family…” Aaron trails off, didn’t mean to get this emotional.

Robert just smiles, and kisses Aaron’s temple.

“Oi soppy git, you’re up” Liv’s loud voice bursts their little bubble. She tosses her Xbox control into Robert’s lap. He slides down onto the floor to play the victorious Noah while Liv, ever the sore loser, drowns her defeat in a bag of Doritos.

And if it ends up being late when Aaron walks Noah back to the Woolpack that night, the excitable glow in his cheeks makes it more than worth it.


	2. Gabby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks again to @mrshiftysugden, @portinastorm, and @stulot for their support and ideas :)

It’s late by the time Robert gets home from his meeting. He toes his shoes off inside the door, leaves his jacket on the hook, and stretches to ease the ache in his back from the long drive.

Robert doesn’t have to look far to find his husband, slouched in his usual spot on the sofa scrolling through his phone, so far so normal. It’s only on his second glance that he realises that the scene is far from normal.

The table in the middle of the living room is covered in a mess of what Robert would only describe as girly stuff. Hair clips, make-up brushes, and bottles of nail polish are strewn all over the table, between coke cans and chocolate wrappers, even the tv is paused on some cheesy looking chick flick.

“Oh good you’re back, I was starting to get worried.” Aaron says, tilting his head to the side as Robert comes up behind him, a silent request for a kiss on the cheek, which Robert happily obliges.

“Oh my god, what is that on your fingers!” Robert can’t help exclaiming, bursting into laughter before he can stop himself.

“It’s not my fault! Liv’s got Gabby over for the night, apparently she and her boyfriend broke up and she’s heartbroken, so me and Liv were trying to cheer her up…”

“And that required you to paint your nails purple why?” Robert is still chuckling as he drops down onto the sofa next to Aaron, whose cheeks are a little bit pink now.

“Well technically the girls did it for me…” Aaron’s excuse is interrupted by Liv and Gabby descending the stairs with blankets, both in their pyjamas already with their hair in plaits. Robert notices that their nails are painted too, Gabby’s a bright pink, Liv’s black.

“Do ya like Aaron’s new makeover” Liv teases, “we wanted to put lipstick on him too but he wouldn’t let us.”

“Oi, I draw the line at that.” Aaron tells her.

Liv and Gabby settle down opposite them and re-start their film. Robert can’t help but notice that despite her smiles, Gabby’s eyes are red and tired looking.

Any semblance of calm that Gabby had found disappears when her phone chimes in her lap, she sighs as she opens the new message, and Liv glares at the phone like the inanimate object has done something terrible to her.

“I told ya, ignore him! He’s so not worth it.” Liv says sternly, nudging Gabby as she says it.

Before her friend can respond, there’s a loud hammering on the front door, and a lad’s voice shouting.

“Gabby! Gabby! It’s me. Open up… I know you’re in there. Jacob told me you were staying at Liv’s so there’s no point hiding. I just wanna talk! Gabby!”

Gabby is the first to react, but as she goes to stand Liv pulls her back down to the sofa.

“Don’t you dare, the guy’s a bloody psycho… just ignore him, he’ll have to go away eventually.”

“Don’t worry” Aaron tells the two girls. “I’ve got this.”

Robert watches Aaron walk over to the door and wrench it open, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

“Who the hell are you, and why are you tryin’ to smash my door in?” Aaron demands, and Robert sees the lad - a greasy, spotty boy in a snapback - recoil slightly in surprise. Aaron was clearly not who he was expecting.

Aaron stands in the doorway with his arms crossed, blocking the entrance, as the boy splutters incoherently about talking to Gabby and “just a big misunderstanding”, sounding nothing like the cocky, demanding git who had first slammed on the door.

Gabby mutters something about the loo, and rushes upstairs to the bathroom, rubbing furiously at her eyes with the sleeve of her pyjamas. This prompts Liv to shout several expletives at the boy over Aaron’s shoulder, for which Robert cuffs her round the back of her head.

“Let Aaron handle him, you go keep an eye on Gabby ok?” Robert tells her, and thankfully Liv follows Gabby upstairs without further swearing.

Robert decides it’s probably time to intervene, not because he doesn’t think Aaron can’t handle it just fine on his own, but because he knows his husband has a temper. Aaron’s counselling may have been going well of late, but Robert thought it was best not to risk it all the same.

By the time Robert appears at Aaron’s shoulder, his husband is reading the lad on the doorstep the riot act.

“…if even half the things I’ve heard about you are true, then Gabby deserves far better than a little rat like you. So if you know what’s good for ya you’ll stay far away from her, and Liv, and if I ever catch you hammering on my door like that again I swear I’ll…”

“Everything ok Aaron?” Robert interrupts, before Aaron can make any specific threats of violence.

“Yeah, no problem!” Aaron says, voice dripping with sarcasm. “My new friend here was just leaving.”

If Aaron’s rant had him scared, then the sight of both men glaring daggers at him has the boy looking like he’s on the verge of wetting himself. He doesn’t hesitate to use Aaron’s words as a cue to leave, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away.

Robert can’t help but snort in amusement, as Aaron closes the door.

“You know, the protective dad act is just a little bit sexy” Robert tells him, raising an eyebrow at Aaron.

“Shut up!” is Aaron’s only response.

It takes a while for Liv to coax Gabby back downstairs, and when she does emerge her whole face is red and puffy, her sleeves pulled down over her hands and she looks nothing like her usual confident, sarcastic teenage self. She just looks like a lost little girl.

“Don’t worry, he’s gone and it doesn’t look like he’s coming back, Aaron saw to that!” Robert tells the girls.

“Thanks… look I’m really sorry for causing trouble, I didn’t think he’d come here looking for me.  I can go home if you want…” Gabby stutters out, her gaze flicking between both men.

“Don’t be daft.” Aaron replies, “It’s not your fault! You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. And if he starts giving you grief again, you tell me alright?”

Gabby cracks a genuine smile at that, a rare sight since Ashley’s passing.

“Thanks.”

“Now come on, put the end of this film back on. I want to know if that Regina girl survived getting hit by the bus.” Aaron says, causing Robert and the girls to give him a strange look.

“What? It’s funny ok?” Aaron says, attempting to defend himself.

Which he has to do again the next morning against Adam, when he realises that he’s forgotten to remove his nail polish.

But Liv and Gabby spend the night giggling in their pyjamas, and end up swearing off boys (for a week only, but still, it’s the thought that counts.) So maybe it’s all worth it.


	3. April & Leo

April and Leo were meant to be a one-time only thing. Marlon was struggling to find someone to look after them both one Thursday night when he needed to be at work. Rhona had gone away with Vanessa for a girls’ holiday, and Paddy had been staying overnight in Manchester for a conference. So Aaron had offered to keep an eye on the two children until Marlon finished work.

But when he had agreed to it, he hadn’t anticipated being stuck at the scrapyard, waiting for a new client who was annoyingly late for their meeting. Aaron made himself a mug of tea while he waited, and resigned himself to calling his husband, who had been working from home.

“Hi Aaron, is everything ok?” Robert answers immediately.

“I’m a bit stuck actually. I’m still waiting for this Richard bloke to show up but he’s stuck in traffic and I’m meant to be picking up April and Leo in ten minutes. Could you go and get them and bring ‘em back to ours? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Uhh yeah, sure.  Any ideas for how to keep them entertained until you get back?” Robert replies.

“Robert they’re kids, not wild animals. Just shove ‘em in front of the tv and put some cartoons on.”  Aaron says, rolling his eyes.

“Alright, I’m on it. See you in a bit.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

Not only was the guy late, he had also brought a frustratingly long list of requirements that made Aaron wish Robert was there, because there’s only so much talk about contracts and profits that he can deal with before his brain goes to sleep. It’s over an hour before Aaron is finally able to lock up the portacabin, and he’s slightly concerned about how Robert is coping.

It turns out, he had no need to worry. He smells it as soon as he steps in through the front door, the tempting smell of fresh baking, and he finds the three of them in the messy kitchen, all elbow-deep in flour, with one of Robert’s grandmother’s old recipe books open on the table.

“Aaron! Look, we’re baking cupcakes!” April announces loudly, a streak of white across her cheek.

“I can see that! You guys having fun?” Aaron asks, directing his question as much to Robert as the children, and ruffling Leo’s hair as he rounds the table to kiss his husband’s cheek.

“Yeah, we’re doing alright.” Robert tells him, smiling. He’s got his shirt sleeves rolled up and an apron slung round his waist, and Aaron thinks he looks completely adorable - not that he would ever say that out loud.

“They’ll be done in 5 minutes, fancy giving us a hand icing them?” Robert asks, and Aaron can’t say no to that.

“Just let me wash the grease off my hands, then we’ll make the best cake icing Emmerdale has ever seen!” Aaron says, getting into the spirit, and tickling April’s armpits, causing her to shriek and burst into giggles, Leo not far behind.

When Marlon arrives to collect them looking puzzled, they’ve made two large batches of cupcakes.

“Look Daddy, me and Leo made you a special cupcake! Isn’t it cool? I love it here! Can we come every week?” April launches into a breathless rant, as Aaron leans over the table to clean the stickiness from Leo’s face with a wet towel.

“Woah, slow down sweetheart, I’m not sure Aaron and Robert will want you guys wrecking their kitchen every week!” Marlon tells her, causing April to pout at him.

“Course not, they’re welcome whenever. We had a great time didn’t we?” Aaron tells Marlon, to a mini chorus of cheers.

“Really? You don’t mind… only Chas has mentioned me doing more late shifts on Thursdays. I wouldn’t want to be a bother but I might be needing a more regular arrangement…”

“It’s not a bother, like Aaron said, we liked having them.” Robert chimes in from the sink, where he’s busy washing up the mixing bowls.

“Well, if we all get cake out of it, I think that’s an arrangement that will suit us all! Thanks guys, seriously it’s a real help.” Marlon says.

It’s a good thing that they did agree in the end, because it’s the only thing that placates the kids when Marlon tells them they have to go home and they both start throwing tantrums, not wanting to leave.

“You can come back and see Uncle Aaron and Uncle Robert next week ok? Right now we need to get home and get you to sleep, or you’ll never be up for school tomorrow.” Marlon reassures them.

They pack April and Leo off with a tin full of cakes, and a promise of more baking next week. And if Aaron catches Robert on his phone later, looking up muffin recipes, then he decides not to bring it up.


	4. Kyle

It’s Charity’s fault. She had roped Cain into one of her dodgy car schemes gone wrong, causing them both to be arrested and facing custodial sentences.

It leads to a Dingle family meeting in the back room of the pub, the whole clan arguing over what should be done with their children when they’re in prison. Chas offers to take care of Noah at the pub, so he doesn’t have to leave his home, but Kyle is more of an issue. Zak and Lisa are due to travel to Ireland, to take care of an ill cousin, causing Kerry to kick off about Kyle being away from both his family and school.

None of them fully trusted Kerry, so she was immediately vetoed as a guardian. Debbie had initially offered to take him in, but that option was soon dismissed given that she is still living at Moira’s with Sarah, Jack, and Faith, leaving no more room for him. Marlon has his hands full with Leo and April, as Rhona had decided to take some time away from the village to recover in the aftermath of her court case, so he’s out too.

In the end Aaron offers. The rest of the family look surprised, until he points out that if he and Robert can take care of the human hurricane that is Liv, quiet little Kyle should be no problem.

On the day of sentencing, Cain and Charity both get a jail term of six weeks, which could have been much worse.  Kyle arrives that afternoon, looking confused and frightened. Lisa had done her best to explain gently that Cain wouldn’t be around for a while, but it was obvious he didn’t really understand.

The first couple of days are difficult. Kyle barely says two words, and the only thing that seems to settle him is watching cartoons, causing Robert, Aaron and Liv to all worry about him.

Things change on the third night of his stay. There’s a storm raging outside and Kyle bursts into terrified tears at the first rumble of thunder. As Aaron does his best to reassure the distressed little boy, the violent weather causes a power-cut, meaning they lose their last method of comfort.

“Hey, hey. It’s ok, it won’t hurt you I promise!” Aaron says trying to soothe Kyle, who by this point is howling in his lap.

“Is there anything I can do?” Liv asks as she hovers nearby with a torch in her hand, the worry clear on her face even in the minimal light.

“Can you go and find where Robert’s disappeared to?” Aaron suggests, starting to get annoyed at his husband, who had vanished up the stairs with another torch ten minutes ago and had yet to reappear.

Liv does as he asks, climbing the stairs much more carefully than she normally would, leaving Aaron alone with a still weeping Kyle.

When she returns, Robert is with her, and for some unknown reason they’re both carrying bundles of sheets and blankets.

“I’ve got an idea” Robert announces, putting his torch down on the sofa to illuminate the living room.

“Great, ‘cos right now, I’m all out of ‘em.” Aaron tells him.

“We’re going to build a den.” He says, starting to untangle his bundle and rearrange furniture with Liv’s help. “I thought it might help him feel a bit safer.”

Aaron has absolutely no idea where that idea came from, but after half an hour of sobbing, and with no sign of the weather easing off, he’s willing to try anything.

The little den Robert and Liv produce is basic and scruffy, but it seems to do the trick. With the torches inside and the worst of the lightning blocked out, the boy starts to calm down. Aaron sits beside Kyle, periodically wiping his still runny nose as he plays a game of snap with Liv.

Robert shuffles into the den to sit beside Aaron, both of them relieved.

“What made you think of this?” Aaron asks his husband eventually.

“Vic used to be terrified of thunderstorms as a kid too, and we had a lot of power cuts up at the farm. This used to be the only thing that would calm her down. I figured it might work for Kyle too.”

“Well you’re a genius.” Aaron tells him gratefully.

Robert’s response it cut off by Kyle.

“I like this tent. Can we build one tomorrow as well?” It’s the most he’s said since he arrived, and the other three all breathe a huge sigh of relief.

“Yeah buddy, if you want to.” Aaron tells him.

When Kyle starts looking sleepy, they bring pillows down to let him sleep in the den for the night to keep him calm, and he looks happier than he has been in some time.

And if Aaron comes down half-way through the night to check on him, and finds Liv fast asleep next to him, lying protectively between the boy and the nearest windows, then he decides that just this once, he won’t tease her.

Not right now anyway.


	5. Sarah & Jack

Aaron is in the pub, just trying to have a quiet post-work pint before he heads home to have tea with Robert and Liv, when the shouting starts. Drama in a small village like Emmerdale is hard to ignore, especially when it involves your own family.

He doesn’t know what caused the fight, all he knows is that Debbie and Ross are screaming at each other from either side of the bar. Debbie seems to be accusing her boyfriend of cosying up to someone he shouldn’t, but frankly Aaron doesn’t really care. What does trouble him, however, is the sight of Sarah and Jack sat in one of the nearby booths, obviously waiting for it to be over. Sarah looks a combination of bored and mortified, slumped down low in her seat like she wants the ground to swallow her up. Jack on the other hand is glassy eyed and looks on the verge of tears, his lower lip trembling.

Aaron downs the rest of his pint and wanders over towards the children, before sitting down opposite them.

“Hey, you guys ok?” he asks, reaching across the table to brush a loose bit of hair out of Jack’s eyes.

“They’ve been like this for ages.” Sarah responds, putting her arm around her little brother. “It’s embarrassing, everyone keeps staring.”

“Why don’t you both come back to mine for a bit eh? Let ya mum and Ross sort their problems out on their own.”

“Can we? You don’t m-“

Sarah’s reply is drowned out by the smash of a glass, Ross having apparently knocked Debbie’s wine glass flying as he gesticulated angrily at the woman opposite.

“Ok, time to go I think!” Aaron says, lifting Jack up into his arms, and nodding in the direction of the door for Sarah to follow. He pauses by the door to speak to Faith, tells her that he’s taking the kids for as long as it takes for Debbie and Ross to get their act together. She nods, her face serious for once, and pats him on the back as he leaves. Faith might encourage her own share of trouble, but when it came to Sarah and Jack at least, Aaron knew she had their best interests at heart.

There is a part of Aaron that worries slightly about springing Sarah and Jack’s presence on Robert like this. It’s not that Robert doesn’t adore his niece and nephew, he absolutely does. Aaron knows because he’s seen the glow of pride on his husband’s face when Sarah bounds up to them in the street to tell them how well her latest round of treatment has gone, and when Jack drew a stick-figure portrait of them one afternoon during a barbeque at Diane’s, it was Robert who immediately stuck it on their fridge in pride of place.

It’s just complicated is all. Aaron knows he will probably never completely understand the issues that made the Sugden family so complex. But he does know that despite it all, the awkwardness with Debbie, the animosity with Andy, and the difficult reminders that come with the children’s very names, Robert would do anything to help them if they needed him.

He’s proven right when they step through the stained glass door, Robert needing only a glance from Aaron to start pulling out more chairs for the kitchen table. It’s Thursday, so April and Leo are already seated either side of Liv, colouring on scrap paper as the older girl works on her latest art project, the three of them sharing Liv’s fancy new colouring pencils.

They’ve taken to keeping a stash of kid-friendly meals on the bottom shelf of the freezer, so Aaron pulls out some chicken nuggets and chips. Once the food is cooking, Aaron leans against the sink and watches as Robert supervises the kids. They have more people than kitchen chairs, so Robert has Jack on his lap, and the little boy keeps lifting his piece of paper up every few minutes to show his uncle.

“That’s amazing Jack… April make sure you share with Sarah please… oh no did it break? Liv do you have another red pencil…”

After they’ve eaten Liv pulls out a battered old edition of monopoly, and they all gather in the living room, kneeling around the low table to play. It warms Aaron’s heart as he watches Robert help Sarah and Jack, who have never played the game before, to understand the rules. The situation allows him to be laid back and have fun with them in a way that is new and sweet as they play as a team. The game is surprisingly good-natured for monopoly, so Aaron decides not to ruin it by drawing attention to the fact that Robert, as the banker, starts slipping Sarah extra notes when she gets close to going bankrupt.

It’s late when Debbie eventually calls, and she sounds tired and sad as she thanks Aaron, telling him that Ross has gone back to his mum’s for a while. April and Leo are long gone by this point, and Jack has fallen asleep on the sofa with his head in Robert’s lap, so Aaron convinces her it’s better to let them stay the night.

Robert wakes them briefly so that they can brush their teeth with a couple of the brand-new toothbrushes they’ve started stockpiling in the bathroom. Liv lends Sarah one of her old onesies to sleep in that the younger girl has to roll back the arms and legs of, and Aaron retrieves a pair of pyjamas that Kyle had left behind for Jack. They’re asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows, peaceful wrapped in overly-big sleeping bags.

The next day, Aaron and Robert arrive home from work to find two drawings shoved through their letter box, featuring little doodles of monopoly pieces and chicken nuggets. Both go straight up on the fridge, right next to the stick figure masterpiece.


	6. Arthur

There are some dates that Robert always dreads. 28th November is one of those dates.

This year, the 28th is chilly and overcast, the thick grey clouds threatening rain as he sits on the grass, eyes fixed on the engraved stone in front of him.

_In Loving Memory of Jack Sugden_

_Born 28 th November 1947_

_Died 5 th February 2009_

_Beloved husband father and grandfather._

_“A Good Man At Rest In The Good Earth”_

Aaron and Vic had both offered to come down to the graveyard with him, but he chose to come alone. There was something about days like this that always leave him feeling unbalanced, torn between anger and love, bitterness and guilt, resentment and regret.

When there’s a rumble of thunder over the distant hills, he decides it’s time to head home.

“Happy Birthday Dad.” Robert says aloud, resting his hand on the cool stone for a moment, before standing and sighing. He shoves his cold hands into the pockets of his coat as he turns around to walk away.

It’s as he walks past the newer graves near the gate that he realises he’s not the only one out here. Arthur Thomas is kneeling in the long grass, a tiny bundle of wild flowers clutched in his hand, and tears in his eyes.

He hasn’t spotted Robert, who approaches him slowly from behind, he’s too busy running his fingers over Ashley’s engraved name.

“You know, sometimes talking to him can help.” He says softly, not wanting to startle the boy.

Arthur whips around anyway, surprise on his face.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have disturbed you. I just thought… it might help.” Robert says, wondering why he didn’t just walk away.

Although truthfully, he knew really why the sight of a heart-broken, fair-haired young boy, sat in the grass grieving for a lost parent had tugged at his heartstrings.

“I do sometimes… why are you here?” Arthur asks, innocent curiosity shining through his sadness.

Robert hesitates, before sitting down on the grass next to him.

“The same reason as you, visiting my dad. It’s his birthday.” Robert says eventually.

“Your dad’s here to?” the boy asks, his eyes wide.

“Yeah… over by that tree.” Robert points it out, before continuing. “Why are you on your own?”

“Mum’s at work. I was at home with Grandad, but he fell asleep in the chair, so I thought I’d come keep Dad company. I worry sometimes that he’ll get lonely.”

Robert’s heart aches at that. He thinks maybe it’s not really Ashley who is lonely.

“Look, you don’t have to… but Gabby’s at mine and Aaron’s place right now with Liv. You could come join us all for tea too if you want? We make a mean Spaghetti Bolognese.”

“Really? You don’t mind?” Arthur asks, his expression tentative.

“Course not, as long as you text your mum and let her know where you are, so she doesn’t worry.”

Robert picks up Arthur’s backpack and slings it over his shoulder as he stands. They walk to the Mill together, Arthur’s face already looking a little brighter as he tells Robert that spaghetti was his dad’s favourite and that they used to have competitions over who could suck the pasta up quicker when his mum wasn’t looking.

And when they walk into the kitchen Aaron, bless his heart, doesn’t bat an eyelid when Robert announces that they have an extra person for tea, and even Liv has the sense to do no more than raise an eyebrow, as she walks over to the cupboard to retrieve an extra bowl, placing in down on the table between hers and Gabby’s.

But that’s nothing compared to the satisfaction Robert and Aaron both get, when Laurel comes to collect Gabby and Arthur. She beams with a happiness that none of them have seen in a long time, at the sight of them joking and laughing around the kitchen table, as Liv teaches them a complicated card game which has really odd rules, that Robert is pretty sure Liv is making up as she goes.

Robert and Aaron share a small smile over the dishes, Robert washing and Aaron drying, before Aaron replaces the towel onto its hook, so he can flick the kettle on and invite Laurel to join them for a cuppa.


	7. Samson

It’s the middle of an extremely cold, frosty night when someone starts ringing the doorbell. Robert is still fast asleep like a log, so Aaron braves the chilly floors, pulling a hoodie over his pyjamas as he descends the stairs.

He has no clue who to expect on the other side of the door in the middle of the night, but if he’d had to make a list of guesses, Samson would not have been on it. Nevertheless, there he stands, nose bright red and fingers tinged blue, his teeth-chattering from the cold.

Aaron ushers him in quickly, flicking on the electric fire to warm the boy up.

“I’m sorry to burst in like this. I just had to get away, and Sarah told me I should come here.” Samson’s teeth still chatter as he tries to explain.

“Course you can mate, but why on earth are you outside in the middle of the night? It’s freezing out there!” Aaron asks, confused. At first, Samson doesn’t respond, just sits ringing his cold, aching hands in front of the fireplace.

“Well, I’ll ring your dad, he’ll be worri-“

“NO!” Samson shouts, before lowering his voice and adding “I don’t want him to know I’ve left home.”

“What do you mean “left”?” Aaron questions, bewilderment growing.

The creak on the stairs announces Robert joining them, looking as confused as Aaron feels. He jerks his head towards the kitchen, mouths “hot chocolate?” and Aaron just nods.

“What do you mean you’ve “left”?” Aaron repeats, “You mean you’ve run away?”

Samson just shrugs.

“But why?”

“Me and Dad got into this massive fight. I wanted to talk to him about mum, but he just kept ignoring me and getting on to me about school instead.” Samson rambles out in one long breath, the shine in his eye betraying the hurt behind his anger. “It’s like he’s doesn’t even care what I think anymore.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Aaron says. “Look, I can’t speak for your dad, but I would guess that talking about your mum is probably still tough for him.”

Aaron pauses for a moment, watches Robert’s pyjama clad back and sleep-soft hair as he stirs the mugs in the kitchen, trying to work out how to phrase what he wants to say.

“Samson… sometimes when you love someone - and I mean really love them - deeply and completely, that person almost becomes a part of you. I think your mum was that person for your dad, so for him to lose her the way he did, well it’s bound to still hurt. I’m not saying he was right to ignore ya… but I don’t think he was ignoring it because he doesn’t care about you.”

Samson looks conflicted, so Aaron lets him have some time to consider his thoughts. Robert brings two mugs of hot chocolate over, passing one to each of them, and sends Aaron a meaningful look whilst the younger boy pokes at the small marshmallows floating in the top of his mug.

“Look mate, we need to let your dad know you’re ok.” Robert tells him, and when Samson looks like he’s going to argue, Aaron is quick to interject.

“We’re not saying you have to talk to him, and you’re more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you need to. We’re just going to let him know that you’re safe, and that you’ll talk to him when you feel ready, is that ok?” Aaron says, trying to reason with him.

“Yeah I guess.” The boy replies, looking tired.

Aaron pulls out the now well-used sleeping bag, as Robert heads upstairs in search of his phone to call Sam, hustling a sleepy and concerned Liv back to bed when she sticks her head out of her bedroom door to find out what’s going on.

The next morning, Samson is still determined not to speak to Sam. It’s the beginning of the school’s Christmas holiday, so Aaron drags him down to the scrapyard to give him a hand. The boy looks small in Aaron’s spare high-vis jacket, and Adam looks bewildered at his presence but thankfully has the sense not to ask.

They mostly work on the accounts inside the portacabin, the air outside chill and the clouds threatening snow. Aaron sets Samson to work typing up some invoices on Robert’s laptop and Robert himself arrives back from his meeting around midday, with hot soup and sandwiches for them all, courtesy of Vic.

The four of them sack off work in the afternoon, and end up playing darts instead, Samson looking a lot happier than he had the night before.

Sam knocks on the door just as the light is starting to get dim outside.

“Hey son, can we talk?” he asks awkwardly, aware of everyone watching.

Samson looks over to Aaron, who nods encouragingly, before the young boy puts his darts down, and follows his dad out, ready to talk.


	8. Epilogue: Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much to everyone who has left comments/kudos/likes on this story. I've really enjoyed writing it and it makes me so happy that other people have enjoyed it too.
> 
> I'm definitely interested in adding to this verse in the future, so if there are any scenarios or character combinations you would like to see, then feel free to leave a prompt either here or on my tumblr (I'm itswheremydemonshide10 there too!)

The Mill buzzes with excited noise, the smell of warm gingerbread permeating the house. Liv had decided the day before that they needed to put some Christmas decorations up, which is how they ended up with a house full of kids helping them decorate.

Liv has April on her shoulders, so that she can reach to hang some tacky, brightly-coloured paper chains. Aaron is sat cross-legged on the floor, a string of tinsel around his neck, helping Noah and Sarah to work out which baubles to put on the tree first. The fire is on, and the radio is blasting cheesy Christmas songs, and Robert couldn’t be happier.

Once the decorations are up, and they’ve gorged themselves on mince pies, they all collapse in the living room, the start scene of The Grinch on the TV. However, Liv snatches the control before Aaron can press play.

“Before you start that, we’ve all got an early Christmas present for ya both.” Liv says, pulling a large box out from behind the sofa, covered in red, shiny wrapping paper and a glittery gold ribbon. “Careful, it’s fragile.”

“Liv if something jumps up out of this and smacks us in the face I’ll kill ya.” Robert tells her, not able to hide his suspicion as he pulls the box towards them.

“Oi. I’m trying to do something nice here.” Liv snipes back.

Robert notices that as he and Aaron start tearing at the wrapping to reveal a brown cardboard box, that it’s not just Liv that looks sheepishly excited, all of the children do.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re all in on this?” Robert asks, causing them all to grin, Kyle giggling nervously.

The box is full of bubble-wrapped mugs, and not just any mugs, but specially made ones. Each one has a photo printed on the side of one of the children, their names imprinted on the other side.

“They’re for when we stay over, so we can all have a mug of our own!” Sarah announces.

“It’s our way of saying thank you too, for looking out for us.” Gabby tells them.

Robert looks across to his husband, and sees the same soft, emotional look in his eyes that he knows are reflected back in his own.

-

They end up with a living room full of sleeping children that night. Aaron tip-toes through the maze of sleeping bags and pillows, trying not to disturb any of them as he heads for the spiral staircase, more than ready to crash into bed after the chaos of the evening.

There’s a line of gloves and socks hanging in a line in front of the fire, to dry them out after the epic snowball fight they had hosted in the back garden. The snow is still falling thickly outside the window, the harsh winter really hitting hard now. It’s why Aaron had sent a group message out to all the kids’ parents, to tell them that the children were all welcome to stay over, so that they wouldn’t have to battle through the snow in the dark to get home.

Gabby tosses from one side to the other, having bagged herself the big sofa again (and Aaron thinks that they really need to start a rota system for who gets the sofa each time, to prevent arguments). Noah snuffles unpleasantly into his pillow and Aaron makes a mental note to give him some more medicine in the morning, because his cold doesn’t seem to be shifting anytime soon, and the last thing they need is the other kids catching it too.

“Night-night Aaron” a small sleepy voice mumbles, catching Aaron with one foot on the bottom step.

“Night Jack, get some sleep buddy!” Aaron whispers back as loudly as he dares, before creeping up the stairs.

Robert’s already in bed reading when Aaron reaches the bedroom, hair scruffy and slightly damp from his shower and all he wants is to crawl into his husband’s warm arms, so as soon as he’s shed his clothes in favour of pyjama bottoms and an old t-shirt and brushed his teeth, that’s exactly what he does.

Robert smells clean and fresh, the scent of his poncy rip-off shower gel more comforting than Aaron will ever admit. He curls up next to Robert and nuzzles his face into his shoulder.

“They all settled?” Robert asks absentmindedly, flicking to the next page of his novel, before stretching his arm to settle around Aaron’s shoulder to hold him close.

“Yeah, finally.”

It’s moments like this that make Aaron realise how much marriage has changed him, because he’s pretty sure if he could travel back in time, his younger self would cringe at the sight of him and Robert right now. They’re the picture of domesticity, curled up together in bed like this. It’s one of Aaron’s favourite things to do at the end of a long day, because Robert’s always soft and unguarded like this and he can just relax and unwind, the rise and fall of Robert’s even breathing under his cheek soothing.

Aaron thinks that perhaps this is what his counsellor meant when she had talked the week before about allowing himself to have quiet moments to let his mind settle. He thinks he likes it.

“Do you ever wonder how we got here?” Aaron asks after a few minutes of contented quiet.

Robert understands straight away that Aaron isn’t just musing on the fact that they’re sitting in bed, because he reaches for his bookmark to mark his place, and puts the book on his side-table. He shuffles until he’s lying down on his side, face-to-face with Aaron, before responding.

“How do you mean?” Robert asks quietly. He waits, lets Aaron gather his thoughts without any pressure, content to run his finger-tips up and down Aaron’s arm in delicate, nonsensical patterns, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake.

“Robert… right now we have a living room full random children, none of them are ours, but they just… act like they belong here, you know? I’m not complaining, not at all, but… I mean I never imagined that this would be my life, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t either…” Aaron tails off, not really sure where he is going with this, not sure if it really matters.

Robert seems to mull Aaron’s words over before responding.

“Well, true. But I never would have predicted that I’d end up married to you either…maybe things are better when they just happen naturally ya know?” Robert’s hand threads through Aaron’s hair as he speaks, and he presses a chaste kiss to his husband’s lips before his continues:

“And it’s kind of nice, when I think about it. None of those kids have really had easy lives, for one reason or another, if being here with us nutters makes them happy, then we’re doing a good thing, right?”

It still hits Aaron hard sometimes, the depths of Robert’s heart that most people never even get close to, because they’re buried under so many years of isolation, denial, anger, and fear. Even though they’re married now, and know each other better than anyone else, it still feels like a privilege that he gets to know Robert in this way.

“Yeah, I think it’s a good thing.” Aaron responds eventually. “Sometimes, I just look at them and see myself ya know? I mean the situations are completely different, thank god, but I just remember when I was a kid and how desperate I was for someone to notice, to listen, to care… I’d never want any kid to feel like that if I could stop it.”

Robert closes the gap, so he can rest his forehead on Aaron’s. Their warm, minty breaths becoming one.

“That’s what makes you such a good man Aaron, and why you make me want to be a better one… all of that pain and misery and loneliness - and it just made you kind.”

Aaron has no idea how to respond to that, so he goes with humour instead.

“Why do I have a feeling that’s a quote from one of your nerdy sci-fi shows?”

Robert pulls back with a quiet snort of laughter.

“Well, actually…”

“Never mind, I don’t wanna know!” Aaron cuts him off before he can get going.

Robert and Aaron are content to drift after that. Small snatches of unimportant chatter, a few soft kisses, all in the warm embrace of each other’s arms.

Tomorrow will be chaotic again. Robert will get up first and make the kids tea and toast with Liv, while Aaron showers. Then it will be a rush to get them all home, a mess of backpacks, lost socks, spilt tea, and arguments over the bathroom. Someone will undoubtedly leave something behind, a jumper on the back of a chair, or a phone down the back of the sofa. Noah might join them for another night, depending on what Charity is up to. April and Leo will be back for their usual visit on Thursday too. They will all return at some point, some sooner than others.

But both Robert and Aaron know the door to the Mill will be open to them, at any time of the day or night, for any reason.

And most importantly, the children all know that too.


End file.
